When most foreigners come to Central Asia they think Adventure! – and yet this area is rich with historical, cultural, and archaeological finds that would entice even the novice traveler to experience it, not just read about it!
We can customize a trip for you in Kyrgyzstan that would include visits to the local history museum in Bishkek, a trip to Burana Tower or Tash Rabat. If you like more “hands on” opportunities, we can combine education and culture and give you the opportunity to try your own hand at making some of the local felt crafts, helping to set up a yurt camp, and make some of the local foods – which, by the way, are delicious!
Burana Tower, about an hour and a half outside of Bishkek. Originally built in the 9th century, the area also has extensive earthworks, grave markers, and a small, but fascinating, museum with archaeological artifacts from across Eurasia found at the Burana site. The Soviets did some restoration on the tower up until the 1970’s.
Itinerary – Day Tour 1: Burana Tower:
(Year-round but best in Spring, Summer, and Autumn, roughly April – October)
Total, 1 day trip including transportation, fees, and lunch: $90 US Dollars per guest.
Note: Prices are based on 1 traveler. There will be a discount for multiple guests, as the cost of the guide and vehicle can be divided among the party. Please let us know how many travelers there are in your group, as parties of more than 3 adults may necessitate an additional vehicle and guide. Also, any and all ‘expedition packages’ are merely suggestions of what is available in Kyrgyzstan, they can be customized in any number of ways.
Our first ‘1-day-only’ trip, available for clients to add onto existing tours or hunts, or for folks who might be in Bishkek for other reasons, and would like to learn some of the local history! Our tour begins in Bishkek, where our guide will pick you up where you specify, such as your guest house, home, hotel, or wherever, normally around 10-11 in the morning, and then drive you to the site of Burana Tower, south of the small city of Tokmok, roughly an hour outside of Bishkek. There, we will furnish a picnic lunch and afterwards take you into the tower site itself. There are three ‘attractions’ within the site: Burana tower with its amazing view of the Kyrgyz countryside and fascinating history, the earthworks nearby – the remnants of the medieval city the tower overlooked and a curious collection of gravesite markers, and the small but highly intriguing museum, with a collection spanning from Soviet archaeological photography to ancient Chinese coins to poisoned arrowheads! After a couple of hours touring the Burana site, our guide will then return you to Bishkek to the location you request. Normally, clients should expect to return to Bishkek in the mid-to-late afternoon, depending upon how long they wish to spend exploring the city’s ruins. Note: although this is a ‘day trip’ and not intended to be ‘trekking’ per se, clients are still encouraged to wear good hiking boots or shoes, owing to the nature of the terrain around the city’s remains.
The very narrow stairway leading to the top of the tower.
The view from the bottom – the tower stands at 25 meters (about 82 feet) today, less than half of its original height.
Itinerary – Cultural Tour 1: Kyrgyz Lake Country: (summertime, roughly May to mid-September)
Total, 9 days and 8 nights in Kyrgyzstan: $1400 US Dollars per guest (about $150 per day.)
Note: Prices are based on 1 traveler. There will be a discount for multiple guests, as the cost of the guide and vehicle can be divided among the party. Please let us know how many travelers there are in your group, as parties of more than 3 adults may necessitate an additional vehicle and guide. Also, any and all ‘expedition packages’ are merely suggestions of what is available in Kyrgyzstan, they can be customized in any number of ways.
Day 1: Arrive Bishkek, travel via automobile to Saruu guest house, spend night. Alternative: arrive Bishkek, go see Burana Tower, stay in Bishkek guest house that night, leave for Saruu no later than 5 the following morning.
Day 2: See demonstration game of Ulak Tartysh (a local game of “goat polo,” also known as Kok Boru) and participate as well (Don’t worry, this team is very good at gently helping foreigners get some of “the basics” of the sport); horse ride to hot springs in nearby mountains, Ulak dinner (Yep, same goat – turns out really tender!); drive back to guest house, stay 2nd night. Note: this stay could be extended by a day or two if the client wanted to go fishing in the river near Saruu. One of our guides told me there’s trout in the river, and I’ve seen local gentlemen fishing there.
Day 3: Drive to Kyzyl Tuu guest house, where clients will spend 3rd night, stopping to see “Fairy Tale” canyon en route; spend the rest of the day relaxing at the lake – a very popular destination for Kyrgyz and Kazakh summer vacationers.
Day 4: Witness yurt-making process during the day, participate as well. Spend 4th night, again at Kyzyl Tuu guest house.
Day 5: Drive to Kochkor. Witness shyrdak (local felt rug) making process, participate as well. Spend 5th night at Kochkor guest house. Note: if the client wishes, they can purchase the rug they worked on to take with them.
A demonstration about how some of the local felt rugs are made.
Day 6: Horse trek day 1, on the 6th night there will be a stay in a yurt. This night will be in a “jailoo,” a high alpine pasture – quiet, beautiful, and “off the beaten path.”
Day 7: Horse trek day 2, yurt stay for the 7th night will be by Song Kol lake. The sizable lake, seen in the photograph below, will likely have other travelers visiting one of several scattered yurt camps, but by far the most numerous inhabitants are the sheep flocks brought up for summer grazing.
Day 8: Return to Bishkek via automobile, lodging in Bishkek.
Day 9: Fly home from Bishkek airport.
Tash Rabat, in southeastern Kyrgyzstan – a fifteenth century stone caravanserai (think of it as a fortified hotel for caravans traveling through the area,) restored, I’ve been told, by Soviet archaeologists. As an interesting note, the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences about 30 years ago stated that it had originally been a Nestorian (Christian) monastery built in the 10th century.
Itinerary – Cultural Tour 2: Historic Kyrgyzstan: (summertime, roughly May to mid-September)
Total, 11 days and 10 nights in Kyrgyzstan: $1700 US Dollars per guest (about $150 per day.)
Note: Prices are based on 1 traveler. There will be a discount for multiple guests, as the cost of the guide and vehicle can be divided among the party. Please let us know how many travelers there are in your group, as parties of more than 3 adults may necessitate an additional vehicle and guide. Also, any and all ‘expedition packages’ are merely suggestions of what is available in Kyrgyzstan, they can be customized in any number of ways.
This tour is similar to the one above, except that we would add an additional 2 days so that you can see a few other historic sites. Also, the first day would be spent in Bishkek seeing Burana Tower, necessitating a 5 a.m. departure on Day 2 to arrive in Saruu by lunch time. Between day 2 and 3, we would add a day visiting Karakol and seeing the Przewalski musuem. That afternoon could be spent in and around Karakol, or back in Saruu possibly fishing or relaxing. The final addition to the tour would be adding a day at the end driving to and visiting Tash Rabat. The 9th night is spent at Khan Tengri hotel, Naryn city. On the 10th day, we would drive to Bishkek, lodging there before our clients fly out early the following morning.
One of the views from the inside of Tash Rabat.
Itinerary – Cultural Tour 3: Southern Kazakhstan and Northern Kyrgyzstan: (summertime, roughly May to mid-September)
Total, 8 days and 7 nights combined in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: $1700 US Dollars per guest
Note: Prices are based on 1 traveler. There will be a discount for multiple guests, as the cost of the guide and vehicle can be divided among the party. Please let us know how many travelers there are in your group, as parties of more than 3 adults may necessitate an additional vehicle and guide. Also, any and all ‘expedition packages’ are merely suggestions of what is available in Kyrgyzstan, they can be customized in any number of ways.
Day 1: Arrive Bishkek, travel via automobile to Almaty, Kazakhstan. Tour Russian Orthodox Cathedral in downtown Almaty, spend the evening in Almaty hostel.
Day 2: Travel via automobile to see the Ile-Alatau National Park just south of Almaty and then proceed to Charyn Canyon National Park, Kazakhstan, seeing the famous canyon that is often called the “little brother to the Grand Canyon.” That evening we’ll be camping out, Western-style, near the national park. Evening meal and breakfast to be prepared by Taigan Expeditions staff with lunch at a local café.
Day 3: Travel via automobile to Karakol, Kyrgyzstan. We’ll be crossing a mountain pass only usable in the summer, and will visit the Przewalski Museum in Karakol. Przewalski was a 19thcentury explorer of the region for Imperial Russia, and the only extant wild horse species in the world is named for him. We will spend the evening in a guest house in Karakol.
Day 4: Saruu – essentially the same as Day 2 in Cultural Tour #1 above in Saruu with a game of Ulak Tartysh, a horse trek and a hot springs visit. Spend the night at a guest house in Saruu.
Day 5: Horse trek to jailoo, a high mountain pasture, and spend the night in a yurt.
Day 6. Horse trek back to Saruu, spend the night in Saruu guest house.
Day 7: Travel via automobile to Bishkek, tour of Bishkek, spend the night at hostel there.
Day 8: Fly home from Bishkek airport.
Note: As with our other tours, this package can be easily customized to include other cultural activities, such as participating in yurt-making in the village of Kyzyl Tuu for a day. Simply ask us and we can adapt the tour to your particular requirements!
Our expedition packages do not include:
- Travel to and from home country, or excess luggage fees.
- Alcoholic beverages (clients may provide their own at their own expense, but are requested to please be respectful of local customs regarding consumption. ie. there is some alcohol consumption locally, but you should still be in control of yourself and stop before you are intoxicated. )
- Gratuities.
- Any kind of insurance, medical or otherwise.
- Visas or other legal documents needed to enter Kyrgyzstan (although we can provide an “Invitation Letter” for clients at an additional fee, if required.) Most countries have a free 60 day tourist stamp agreement with Kyrgyzstan. See the Visa policy of Kyrgyzstan and Visa policy of Kazakhstan.
- Meals and optional touring while in Bishkek.
- Any other expenses of an incidental or personal nature, including telephone calls and shopping for souvenirs.
Deposits and refunds:
A non-refundable deposit of 25% via bank transfer (we do not accept credit cards at this time) is required at the time of booking an expedition, with the balance due no later than 30 days prior to the scheduled arrival in Bishkek. If for any reason the client wishes to cancel their visit, after final payment is made, they will receive a refund less the non-refundable deposit.
Even our daughter was able to work on making the intricately woven straps that go around the yurts.
General Notes:
Breakfast and dinner are provided for guest house stays, and lunch is included as well for yurt stays, featuring local cuisine with the specific menu selected by your hosts. If you have specific food concerns, e.g. an allergy, please let us know in advance and we can make appropriate arrangements as needed. If the client wishes to go fishing, they are responsible for bringing necessary tackle. Also, while our tours involve several multiple-hour horse trips, the pace is gentle and the guides are very good at monitoring client safety, and even comfort. In particular, the horse trip to the hot springs near Saruu can be shortened, or even omitted, if the client requests and a vehicle can be used to arrive at the hot springs. Suggested packing lists and general descriptions of climate and terrain can be provided upon request.
Lastly, please rest assured we will do everything in our power to ensure a safe and enjoyable (and hopefully even educational!) journey for our clients. If you like what we do, tell your friends. If for some reason you don’t, then tell us – and we’ll do what we can to “make it right.”
Not only can you spend the night in the traditional Kyrygz home, called a ‘boz uy’ or ‘gray house,’ but you can assist in setting one up.
Stay tuned to this page for further opportunities to visit the southern Osh and Batken regions of Kyrgyzstan, coming soon courtesy of Taigan Expeditions! As always, if you don’t see what you’re interested in, just ask, we can customize a package for you.
All complete – a night in a yurt is not only warm, but downright comfortable as well.